Casing swab



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I V// II! r E AM J l Patented Dec. 18, 1928.

UNITED STATES FORREST J. YOUNG, OF 'I'OBRANCE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONAL SUPPLY COMPANY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO. I

CASING SWAB.

Application filed February This invention relates to casing swabs, and more particularly to a swab for use in casings of oil wells and the like for either cleaning the well or for the purpose of raising the oil to the surface of the well.

An object of this inventionis to provide a casing swab having packers or packing sleeves which maybe adjusted to the diameter of the casing before the same is positioned in the casing, and which packers are so mounted 5 as to take a friction hold on the walls of the casing sufficient only toslightly retard the downward movement of the swab in the easing and through which swab, due to the friction hold, an open passage is maintained on the lower end of thesame in the casing, and which passage is closed by the movement of the swab upward in the casing, due to the friction hold between the packers and the walls of the casing.

Another object of this invention is to provide a swab having a mandrel which is adapted to be secured to a cable'or line and upon which mandrel a mandrel sleeve is mounted so as to be longitudinally slidable, and which sleeve is held spaced from the said mandrel so as to provide a fluid passage between the mandrel and the sleeve, and upon which man- Another obj ect'of this invention is to pro-- vide a swab which comprisesa rigid manr drel upon which a tubular sleeve is 1011- gitudinally and slidably mounted, and

upon which sleeve packing cylinders out wardly concaved on "their inward ,pe

ripheryv are mounted, and through; the

interior of which sleeve oilis permitted -:to

fiow on the loweringof the said mandrelintoi the concave recesses formed by the outwardly concave packing cylinders so as to hold the packing cylinders ""by hydraulic pressure r against the walls of'the casing during the raising of the swab in the casing.

Another object of this invention is to provide a casing swab havingthe aboveenumerwearing parts. 7

Another ob ect of this invention is to provide a casing swab which is adapted to be low-' ered and raised in the casing 'ofan oil well 17, 1926. Serial No. 88,842.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment," thereof as illustrated in the-accompanying drawings, in which drawings: a

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an oil well swab embodying this invention,; illustrating the sameas in position within anoil well casing and illustrating the tubular sleeve of the said swab in the position occupied during the lowering of the said swab in thecasing.

Figure '2 is a side elevation mainlyin vertical 1nidsection of a swab embodying this invention.

Figure 3 is a top plan view taken substantially on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a top plan view taken substantially on the line .l-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is acenter sectional side elevation of an unloader device embodied in this invention.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, 1 illustrates a casing of an oil orlike well into which the swab 2 is lowered on a cable 3 either for cleaning the well or for the pur- V pose of raisingor pumping the oil from the well. v I

The swab 2 comprises a mandrel 4 having a tool-joint 5 formed at its upper end, a which tool-joint 5 is adapted to be connected with a socket 6 towhich the cable 3 is secured o in any desired or preferred manner. Mounted'on the mandrel 4c is a sleeve 7 which sleeve '7 is maintained spaced from the mandrel 4 by means of inwardly projecting wardly projecting keys 9 at'a point intermediate. its ends. The sleeve being maintained spaced from the mandrel 4 by thekeys 8 and 9, a fluid passage 10 is formedwithin the sleeve 7 through which oil or like liquid or fluid flows to the top of the-swab during the lowering of the same into thewell in the casing 1. A tapered shoulder 11 is formed at the lower end of thetool-joint section 5 ofthe mandrel 4: and acts as anupward stop a for the sleeve 7. A nut12is screw-threaded keys 8 at its upper and lower ends and ini I to the lower end of the mandrel 4 and is provided with an annular recess 13, into which annular recess 13 a packing ring 14, constructed of any desired or like material, is mounted, and which packing ring 14 may be tapered at its upper face 15 to provide a tapered seat on which the lowered tapered end face 16 of the sleeve 7 engaged during the raisin of the swab 2 in the casing 1. The packing ring 1% may be constructed of steel or like material but it is preferable that some such resilient packing material, such as rubber, be employed so as to eliminate the necessity of forming a perfect ground fit between the tapered faces 15 and 16.

The sleeve 7 preferably comprises upper and lower circular nuts 17 and 18 and an intermediate circular nut 19 which are connected by tubular sleeves 20, the tubular sleeves 20 being screw-threaded at their opposite ends to the circular nuts 17 M18 and the intermediate circular nut 19 as illustrated in Figure 2.

Mounted 011 the tubular sleeves 20 are packing cylinders 21 which are concaved outwardly on their inner periphery as illustrated at 22 to provide fluid receiving recesses 23. The packing cylinders 21 may of any desired or preferred construction of material but are prei'e'ably composed of a resilient material, such as rubber, and are tapered at their ends as illustrated at 24: to lit the tapered end faces 25 and of the end circular nuts 17 and 18 and the intermediate circular nut 19. The concave packing cylinders 21 may be adjusted as to the amount of: bulging thereof from the sleeves 20 or as to their diameter by screw-threading the end circular nuts 17 or 18 on the sleeves 20 so that the outside diameter of the packing cylinders 21 may be accurately regulated or adjusted before the swab is lowered into the well casing 1.

In order to maintain the packing cylinders 21 against the wall of the casing 1 while the swab is being raised from the well, ports 27 are formed in the tubular sleeves 20 in communication with the fluid receiving recesses 23 and also in communication with the passage 10 formed within thetubular sleeve 7 so that during the lowering of the swab into the well when the oil or fluid is permitted to.

flow through the passage 10, the fluid receiv in g recesses23 formed by concaving the packing cylinders 21 will be filled with the oil or fluid so that when the swab 2 israised in the casing 1 to raisethe said liquid to the surface of the Well, the liquid will exert a pressure upon the interior of the packing members '21 to force the same outward against the wall oi the casing '1. The recesses 23 extend a substantial length of the packing cylinders 21 so that this fluid pressure will be exerted evenly throughout a considerable extentof the periphery of the packing cylinders 21.

In many localities, particularly in those fields, commonly known as the mid-continent fields, cables or lines are employed in swabbing a well so that it is extremely desirable, it not necessary, that means he provided in such a swab 2 for limiting the load of oil which may be carried by such a swab to the surface of the well. In order to accommodate such requirements, I provide a bore 28 formed substantially axially in the lower end oi the mandrel t and which terminates in a transverse port 29 which communicates with the pas age 10. The bore 28 may either be plugged, as illustrated by the plug 80, screw-threaded into the collar 31, which is screw-tlireaded into the lower end of the'mandrel t, or an unloader 32 may be screw-threaded into the collar 31, which unloader comprises a 0011- necting member 83 whichis screw-threaded into position occupied by the plug 30 in the illustration of this invention shown in Fig ure 2, and which connecting member 33' is screw-threaded at its opposite end to a valve cage 34 in which a removable valve seat 35 18 positioned and against whlch seat 35 a ball valve member 36 is yieldably urged by means of a compression spring 87. In order to regulate the compressive force of the spring 3'? against the bore 36 so as to regulate the load or column of oil which may be carried from the well by such a swab 2, or in order to regulate the tension which will be imparted to such a cable 3, an adjusting guide-nut 38 is screw-threaded into the lower end of the valve cage 34 and is adapted to engage the lower end of the compression spring 8.7. The adjusting guide-nut 38 has a guide portion 39 formed at its upper end and adapted to extend into the compression spring 37. By adjusting the guide nut 38 on its threads, the compressive force exercised by the compression spring 37 against the ball valve member 36. may be regulated.

'Having fully described a preferred embodiment or this invention, it is tobe understood that-I do not wish to be limited to-the exact details herein set forth which may obviously be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention asset forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a swab, the combination and a tubular sleeve longitudinally slidably mounted on the said mandrel and spaced therefrom to provide a, fluid passage said sleeve comprising upper, lower and intermediate nuts, and sleeves adjustably connecting the said nuts, and packing cylinders mounted on the said sleeves between the said nuts.

lower end face, aisleeve'adjust-ably screwof a mandrel, I

threaded to the said nut, an intermediate nut to which the said sleeve is secured, a packing cylinder mounted on the said sleeve between the said nuts and adapted to be expanded outwardly by the said upper nut, a lower nut, a second sleeve screw-threaded to the lower nut and the intermediate nut, and a packing cylinder mounted between the said intermediate nut and lower nut and adapted to be expanded outwardly by the said lower nut.

3. In a swab, the combination of a mandrel substantially solid, a sleeve slidably mounted on the said mandrel, means for holding the said sleeve spaced from the said mandrel to provide a fluid passage, longitudinally through the said sleeve, a valve seat supported at the end of the saidumandrel and adapted to engage the lower end face of the said sleeve to close the said fluid passage when the swab is raised, packing means mounted on the said sleeve and expandable outwardly, a bore formed in the said mandrel at its lower end and communicating through a port with the said passage, and an unloader secured to the said mandrel in communication with the said bore.

4. In a swab the combination of a substan-' tially solid mandrel sleeve, means slidably mounted on the said mandrel, the said sleeve means comprising opposite and intermediate nuts tubular sleeves screw-threaded to the said nuts at their opposite ends packing cylinders having outwardly concaved inner peripheries mounted on the said sleeves and engaged at their opposite ends by the said nuts, inwardly projecting keys formed on the inner periphery of the said nuts for holding the said sleeve means spaced from the said mandrel, the said tubular sleeve having a plurality, of ports formed therein for establishing communication from the interior of the said sleeve means and the outwardly concaved peripheral recesses formed in the said packing cylinders, and interlocking tapered sections formed at the engaging ends of the valve means, said by-pass port establishing communication from'below the swab to said fluid passage, and an unloader secured to said mandrel for automatically closing said bypass port.

6. The combination with a swab of the class described including a mandrel, a'packing sleeve, valve means, and a port by-passing said valve means, of an unloader including' a nipple secured to the lower end of the mandrel in communication with the by-pass port, a valve body, the nipple being secured to the body so as to maintan a removable valve seat therein, a valve member seated on said seat, means for yieldably urging said valve member toward said seat and means for ad'usting said yieldable holding means.

igned at Torrance, Caliii, this 11th day of Feb., 1926. I

I FORREST J. YOUNG. 

